Scenes from a Family's life
by thegrayfoxwrites
Summary: Scenes from a remarkable family's life. A collection of one-shots.
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own Ah my Goddess or its characters._

Family affair

Some three months after Keiichi and Belldandy had gotten married(after the drama of the events surrounding Hagal's failed coup in Niflheimr), the head of the Goddess Council, Supreme Proctor of the Judgement Gate, Wife of the Daitenkaicho, and mother of Bell-chan, skuld chan, and stepmother of Urd-chan, Ansuz, finally had time to sit down in her office and review all the cases that had been decided by the Judgement Gate over the last few months.

Indeed, running the Judgement Gate was a busy and thankless job, and one which was made all the more sad by the fact that most of the copules being tested failed. Indeed, as Ansuz herself noted, while running the diagnostics on the Gate, there had been over the last one year a total of some 1,385,489 failures across twenty universes, and one success….the success being her daughter and Keiichi. That her daughter and Keiichi had passed the test had been something of a miracle, and indeed had surprised the denizens of Heaven, and (she had recently heard from her friendly enemy the Daimakaicho Hild) Niflheimr too. There had been a lot of talk, but no one had questioned the integrity of the test….for now.

It was while she was reviewing the holo-data from that particular test involving her daughter and son-in law that Ansuz noticed something strange about the data itself. Unless her eyes were deceiving her, the data seemed to indicate that the Gate had been hacked….and in this case, there was only one culprit….even without noting the distinctive traces of his signature that still remained….her dear husband Tyr. Further review of the data indicated that while the integrity of the test as a whole had not been violated,….indeed, her husband may have even improved on it by his actions in making the test a bit harder for their new son-in law, his activities in doing so were…to say the least…..a bit…risky…and dangerous as far as their son in law was concerned.

Indeed, the more she looked at the data, and played back some video of the events, the more angrier she became. Her husband had been something of a trickster in his youth, and had played a lot of tricks on mortals and divines in the past…to the point that some even thought he had been following in the footsteps of his lamented uncle Loki., but over the years, he had settled down, and even become more kinder…or so she thought. Looking at the data from the test, not only had he not lost his trickster ways,but he had endangered the life of their son-in law in the process.

The more she looked at the data, the angrier she became…until she suddenly stood up , and left her office in a big huff, slamming the door violently and startling her secretary, a young goddess by the name Milan.

'Milan', Ansuz said quietly, 'I will be out of the office for the rest of the day. Cancel all my appointments, and reschedule them for the next available date. I am going to see _my husband_ on very urgent business'.

The way she said the words 'my husband' sent a chill down goddess second class Milan's spine. Her usually kind and soft spoken boss was angry, and very much so.

'Yes mistress', Milan responded, and Ansuz left the office in..well….a hurry. Milan was quiet for a few seconds, then quickly and calmly began carrying out her boss' orders. When the boss was angry…everyone best be on their toes..she thought.

Lord Tyr was a very busy man, but despite being really very busy, he always had time for his dear wife anytime, and as such she did not need to come to his office with an appointment. Neither, for that matter did his daughters…well, most of the time.

But right now, he was seriously considering revising that policy, especially as his wife was in his office right now…and not only was she not in a good mood, she was in a very very bad mood….a very angry life threatening mood…or to put it simply she was not a happy goddess, and well beyond the point of mollification.

'Er, good morning dearest, what a surprise' Tyr offered weakly. 'Do sit down please.'

His wife said nothing, neither did she sit down, but instead she slapped down a data cube and said simply….'Watch'

Lord Tyr slid the tiny cube into one of the five terminals in his office…and once again relived his 'interference' in the Judgment Gate trial of his daughter and new son-in law. Everything was there..including the bike race, the two near death experiences, and the interference by the Goddess of Decisions in the test.

Tyr watched it all to the end (he had to, after all) and when the holovisual was finished, he was quiet for a few moments , then said, in a calm voice 'Well, dear, I did do it to..well…sort of improve the integrity of the test, and also because I wanted to see if that mortal was really ready to commit to our daughter for life.I don't see what the problem reall-'

But he was not allowed to finish that thought , as his wife interrupted, coldly…Except that you turned a simple test of interspecies love into a life and death battle….and in the process nearly risked our son-in law's life…and nearly broke our daughter's heart.'

Tyr was about to respond to that., when his wife continued…in a very pained voice…Tyr, how could you? What exactly were you trying to prove? That you could end our son-in law's life just like that….to prove the integrity of a test? A test that has numerous failsafes to prevent tampering from any quarter? Our son-in -law could have died…and I would have been spending eons consoling one of our dear daughters as she mourned the loss of her beloved? Tyr, how could you be so heartless and so …evil. How could you be so…

But whatever thought Ansuz had was not completed, as Tyr stood up , angered at being labeled a heartless god, and said, in an angry voice…Look , woman, it was all for our Verdandi and the mortal's good! That test of yours was not tough enough a test of their love. I had to see if he was a strong and worthy man for our daughter's love. And I must let you know that I find your second guessing of my wise decision in this matter annoying. Very annoying . If you had not been my wife…He stopped realizing from the look on his wife's face that he had gone far. Too far.

There was silence for a few moments, then Ansuz said, in a sweet and coy voice…'Tyrrrie , dearie, I find it rather surprising that you do not trust our middle daughter's judgement . That girl as you think she still is is actually a grown and wise woman, and she has proven herself capable of making wise decisions time and time again in the past.''

Still speaking in the same coy voice, Ansuz continued…'Now then dear, in the next one hour, I am going to Midgard to pay a brief and long delayed visit to our daughter and her husband…correction _our son_. And _you_ are coming with me .No butts whatsoever. And if I do not hear an apology from you during this very important visit Tyrrie dear….and at this point her voice became as cold as Valkiyre steel…. **you will suffer the consequences** '.

Tyr blanched visibly on hearing the words 'suffer the consequences'….which he knew could mean anything from getting the silent treatment for the next several months, to being served his least favourite foods at mealtimes for a while, and to moving into the guestroom at their residence at night….until he , as his wife would put it…had suffered the consequences enough.

Later that evening, at a certain temple in a certain town in Japan, in that temple's Tea Room, four people sat down around a certain table, facing each other. Two of them were a certain mortal and his lovely wife who happened to be a goddess, and the other two were the goddess' parents…..with the mother wearing a rather fixed smile, and the father looking like he would be rather somewhere else.

Verðandi and Keiichi, dears, Ansuz began, Your Father has something important to tell both of you. Tyr, dear?

And poor old Tyr, said, in a rather humble voice, 'erm, Mr Morisato….no, son, I would like to apologize for my antics regarding the Judgement Gate test you and Verthandi went through.I am especially sorry for putting your life at risk as a result of my….er….antics.., and I do hope you would find it in your heart to forgive me, and to start over from here'

It was a humble apology, and probably the most humble apology the Daitenkaicho had had to make in his long life, and inwardly he was seething. But seeing the kind of glare coming from his wife's eyes despite the fixed smile…he knew he had to go through with it, or ….consequences.

Keiichi Morisato smiled rather embarrassedly, and said 'Don't worry Tyr-sama. I know that you really meant no malice in interfering, and I also know you did it because you really love your daughter, he said, squeezing Belldandy's(Verðandi's) hand as he said so'

'Well, all right' Tyr said, embarrassedly, while his wife explained to the copule…'I just found out about my husband's little manipulation of the test, and we decidied to come and pay you this visit to apologize after we discussed it' she said, giving Tyr a meaningful look as she said that…and Tyr said.. Yes, that's er right.,laughing embarassedly as he said so. Everyone else laughed...and the ice was truly broken.

Lord Tyr and Lady Ansuz visited with their daughter and son in law for another hour, and with their other children Urd and Skuld (who both had been out at the time of their parents arrival..…and came back some thirty minutes after their parents arrived)..before both of them returned back to Asgard, with a promise to visit again…soon.

* * *

 _Another project started. This would just be a series of one-shots. Enjoy!_


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own or create the characters and the Manga/anime series Oh my Goddesss.

First meeting

The complex was large and beautiful, and yet, to the human eye, somewhat discordant.

Located in the middle of a large park filled with beautiful trees,flowers and singing birds, it was separate from , yet somehow integrated into its surroundings. And every day and night the building was filled with thousands of individuals who had one job, and one job alone….to grant the wishes of mortals who lived in the 'lower planes'.

One of such wishgranters at the time, was a young looking, but ageless goddess known to all and sundry as Verðandi . Although she was also a Goddess of time..the present…a highly respected post, as well as the middle daughter of the leader of the Heavens, the Daitenkaicho Tyr, she behaved just like any other Goddess did, both within and outside the Relief Office, and was generally well regarded as a model Goddess, someone who was held up as a Good Example to young gods and goddesses, and also highly regarded for her skills and experience. Over the years, since she had started working for the Goddess Relief Office, she had successfully granted hundreds of wishes to hundreds of denizens across several universes. She also occasionally worked as an instructor at the training center for Goddesses wishing to work at the GRO, and was the proud possessor of a Valkyrie Licence, and generally regarded as one of the more effective 'civilian member' of the Valkyrie Reserves, with some even whispering that she was just as good as a member of the elite unit known as the Silver Wings. She was also a good singer too, and a very good cook too. But despite all her good virtues, she was at heart still the same kind, approachable Goddess that everyone knew.

However, there was one interesting aspect about this Goddess that puzzled many people, and that was the fact that she did not have a mate, nor did she seem to want one. Not that there were any lack of suitors, both male and female, because Verðandi was a highly desirable Goddess, but she always seemed not to be interested in that kind of intimate relationship with anyone . To be sure, she was not entirely a recluse, she did have an active social life,and a large circle of friends but she somehow did not have close intimacy with anyone. Everyone puzzled over the matter, with some even wondering if Bell-chan was….asexual. (The horror). She did not appear to be such, but she was not interested in any relationship either.

Of course, if they could have peered deeply into the innermost recesses of her mind (technically speaking , divinities of ' Verðandi 's class could read minds, but reading the mind of a God or a goddess by another of their kind was forbidden)…they might have seen the reason, and the reason would have left them all the more baffled and surprised too.

It had arisen from her first mission to a 'lower plane world', whose residents referred to it as Earth, but which was known in the Heavenly nomenclature of worlds as 'Midgard'. While there, she had met a young boy who had stolen her heart with his kindness, and even though events had conspired to part them, she had never forgotten him. When she joined the GRO, one of her tasks was to work as an assistant to the head Goddess in charge of the Office that determined who among the lower plane mortals was eligible for a wish, and under the guise of doing that job, she had began to secretly monitor the mortal. It had been some years since, and the mortal had grown into a fine young man. To the discerning eye, the mortal was a bit short, and quite unremarkable looking, but to Belldandy, he was still the kind young man she had idolized from their first meeting, and she was especially pleased to see that even though he met with a lot of misfortune in his life, he was still the same person.

Whenever she had a spare moment, she turned on her monitor and watched the record of his life playing out before rejoiced with him whenever he achieved a success, and felt his pain whenever he had a setback, like failing an exam,being unlucky in love, even losing the first pet that he had. She sometimes wept as she watched the young man feeling sad and upset over some latest setback, weeping with him over the monitor, and feeling powerless to help him. And yet, somehow, he still found the strength to overcome the setback, and keep moving forward. Always.

Indeed, as time went on, Verðandi realized that she was falling in lovewith the mortal. At first she did not realize it, yet over time, she realized that the mortal was occupying a large portion of her thoughts, and sometimes influencing her actions. Because, sometimes, her job at the GRO was very very difficult; dealing with dissatisfied customers, having to take shifts for a goddess who due to one reason or the other could not carry out her duties, and sometimes, having to , as part of her duties in the Valkyrie Reserve, join in in missions against the enemy. Sometimes, when she felt it was all too much to bear, she remembered the mortal, and his strength in the face of adversity, and she found the strength to continue. Indeed, she identified with the mortal more and more….and in the process her love for him grew and grew.

But she knew continuing with such a love came with a price. While love between denizens of the third plane and a divinity, or anyone similar to a divinity was not expressly forbidden, the minute a romantic relationship began, the Ultimate force would act to reduce the Intimacy Desire of the mortal in question. And should the couple continue in their relationship, or wish to take it higher…they had to face the ultimate Test…the Judgment Gate.

The Judgment Gate….the Test…a test which had come into being as a result of the disastrous effects relationships between Divinities and Mortals sometimes caused….which in times past had sometimes (not always)led to chaos and destruction and pain. Many of the offspring of these unions had created a lot of chaos and destruction to the established order…and in some instances, had caused the destruction of whole worlds. Then there were the many tales of divinities who went so mad with grief when their beloved died that they had to be sealed for their own good, and for the good of others…lest they ran amok in their grief . The tales of these chaotic times had been passed down in legend amongst the mortals, and amongst the divinities, they were told as cautionary tales early in the training phase. Of course, a few mortals had been elevated to Divine Status, but that was largely at the discretion of Yggdrasil, the Tree, and Yggdrasil had so far elevated a few denizens of the mortal plane to divnity…some of whom lived in the Heavens. And passing the Gate was not a guarantee of future divinity. Sometimes the Daitenkaicho might intervene and make a mortal divine, but even he had to have his actions approved by the Tree itself…and the Tree did not always agree with the Leader.

So, Verðandi knew that even if she and the mortal somehow were joined together, somehow passed the Gate..their relationship would not last forever. He would die and she would have to face the sorrow of his death alone. She and any children they had might face difficulties later on in the mortal plane. So, even though she loved the mortal, she put aside any dreams of a relationship between them(even though they always came despite her best efforts). There was no chance of a long lasting relationship between them happening. But yet she longed to do something for the mortal…to at least be the one to be assigned to grant him a wish that would ease his pain and make the load of his life lighter

On a certain day, Verðandi reported for duty at the GRO, and noted that the mortal's name was not only up for a wish, but she was the one assigned to grant his wish. She was shocked for a moment or two, and then she felt a burst of happiness inside her heart. Today, she thought, she would do something good for the one she loved, but could not be with.

She had been thinking more and more about the mortal over the last few days. She had confided in her sister Urd, the Goddess of the Past, and her sister had advised her to go for it. Verðandi had told her about her fears about the relationship, including the possibility of the Gate, to which her sister had replied 'If we allowed fear of what might happen to influence our actions, we would never get anything done'. At least, they had agreed that for now, the chances of there being a relationship were not that high. And now today, he was her client. All she had to do was wait for a call from that mortal.

She waited for thirty minutes, then the phone rang…..

Verðandi's first impression on meeting her mortal client, was that while he was short, he was still quite handsome and kind, and still was in many ways the young boy that she remembered from their first meeting . But she noticed that the adversities of life had beaten him down a bit, leaving him having a beaten look, and a sad aura. Nevertheless, she went through her usual spiel…trying to put the customer at ease(he had been initially scared of her), and offer him a wish. The mortal heard her out, thought about it for a moment, and then said that he was ready for a wish. And so, with anticipation, she waited to hear his wish….

'I wish for a goddess like you to stay by my side forever'

Alarm bells rang through her body. No, she cried inwardly, you do not know what you ask for, You are asking for more pain in your life. No…But even as that thought coursed through her mind, she felt a massive but familiar surge of energy moving through her body, passing through the sigil on her forehead, and connecting instantly with the Tree.

The sign that the wish was had been approved.

An unusual wish….the likes of which had never been made in…eons.

And she screamed in her heart…..I have brought more pain and sorrow to him….which made her, combined with the shock of the granting of the wish, feel faint, and she collapsed into unconsciousness, not realizing that she was falling onto a cupboard in the room, or seeing the mortal rush to save her from injury….all that did not matter.

Verðandi woke up after what seemed like a long time,(it was really a few minutes) to the mortal asking her….Are you all right?..while cradling her body in his arms.

She groggily indicated that she was fine, while she tried to remember why she was here…and then it all came back when she saw the hole in the roof.

His wish was granted!. No, that means …. Verðandi quicky asked if the mortal had a phone, and while he pointed it out to her..…she rushed to it, and dialed a number .A special number….a line that only a select number of Divinities knew.

The line to the Almighty One's office. The God Tyr.

The line connected and Verðandi immediately heard her father's voice on the other end.

It is I.

'About that wish'..Verthandi said

It has been approved

You mean, it has been approved ? No Almighty One!...

The Tree has approved the wish. Even I cannot go against The Tree. I am sorry Verðandi . You are aware of the possible consequences...

Yes, Verthandi thought…they would live together, they might have a relationship , and eventually they would face the Test. And even if they passed, they would not really be together forever…unless he became a god…which was not that simple..

'I have brought more sorrow into his life'…she thought.

But even as that thought passed through her mind…another thought came through…an image from her new client's past…an image of his younger self weeping over the grave of his first dog, and thinking that he could not go on….and yet somehow finding strength in the midst of that adversity and moving on, and becoming stronger.

And at that moment Verðandi realized that if this mortal, Keiichi Morisato , could find strength in his deepest darkness, she could too when that time came, and could move on, and become a strong goddess, never fearing nor denying sorrow…but allowing it to strengthen her.

All these thoughts passed thorugh her mind, even as Keiichi spoke, asking if his wish had been approved.

And thus Verðandi , with a new strength and resolution in her voice(and some fear too), borne out of being inspired by the life of the man standing in front of her, said…Yes, your wish has been granted, Mr Keiichi Morisato.

And thus the life of a goddess and a mortal were joined together by the hands of Fate.


	3. Chapter 3

_I do not own Ah my goddess, or its characters. Ah my Goddess and its characters are the property of their original rights owners/creators._

It was a dark and stormy night in a certain town in Japan. The storm, while not at the level of what the weather experts would have called a typhoon, was nevertheless so heavy that everyone who happened to be awake that night, whether at the office, or at home, was thankful to be indoors, while the few that were unlucky to be outdoors immediately rushed for the nearest shelter to take cover until the storm passed.

In a certain house on the outskirts of this town was a house which was quiet within, as the denizens of the house were fast asleep at the moment. In a small twin cot, two babies, not yet three months old, slept quietly and peacefully in their beds. To a casual observer, they both looked sweet and nice in bed, yet, as those who knew them well, including their parents, once awake, they could be a bit…of a handful.

Said parents were sleeping in a Western-style bed in the same room with their offspring. The husband was a nice looking Japanese man with a kind face. He slept lying easily on his back, his short hair looking a bit rough and his face looking peaceful and relaxed. He was dressed in a pair of black shorts, and his upper body looked fit and trim, the result partly of years of hardwork as a mechanic, and also a regimen of exercise which he had continued from his college days, when he was a broke student living in a men-s only dorm with some strange sempais. He had the appearance of a calm and satisfied man, which probably had to do with the woman sleeping with him, her head on his chest , her body close to his.

The woman, his wife, had long brown hair, and features that were clearly had a very beautiful and kind face, with strange diamond markings on her forehead and cheeks. She was dressed in a long flowing pyjamas with a floral had the look of a woman who had found her source of peace and contentment in this world, and who was not going to let go of it, no matter what.

The storm continued to rage outside, and then there was a sharp clap of thunder.

And at that moment, the cry of both babies broke the peaceful silence in that house.

Their cry woke up their mother, the woman with the long flowing brown hair, who immediately got out of bed and went to offer some comfort and consolation to her dear twins. She picked both of them out of bed and held out one of them to her husband, who had also been woken by the cry of the young ones and had come over too to see if he could help. The husband held the female twin, who was dressed in pink baby clothes while the wife held the make twin infant, who was dressed in light red baby clothes. For some time, the sounds heard in the house were the sounds of parents comforting their scared children, and some laughter too, at the husband's comment that if the wife's younger sister….currently away on special training…had been around, she would have invented something to comfort the babies while their parents could rest in peace.

Within minutes, both babies were comforted, and were happy to be placed back in their cots. The husband went out of the room briefly to get some water to drink, and when he came back, he saw his wife standing over the cot, looking down on her babies with such pleasure and happiness (she always looked at them like that, even when awake, thought the husband, except when they are being too…active), and then she began to gently rock the twin cot ,while singing a lullaby in the language of her people..

 _The sky is dark and the hills are white_

 _As the storm-king speeds from the north to-night;_

 _And this is the song the storm-king sings,_

 _As over the world his cloak he flings:_

 _"Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;"_

 _He rustles his wings and gruffly sings:_

 _"Sleep, little one, sleep."_

 _On yonder mountain-side a vine_

 _Clings at the foot of a mother pine;_

 _The tree bends over the trembling thing,_

 _And only the vine can hear her sing:_

 _"Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;_

 _What shall you fear when I am here?_

 _Sleep, little one, sleep."_

 _The king may sing in his bitter flight,_

 _The pine may croon to the vine to-night,_

 _But the little snowflake at my breast_

 _Liketh the song I sing the best, -_

 _"Sleep, sleep, little one, sleep;_

 _Weary thou art, anext my heart;_

 _Sleep, little one, sleep."_

And as she sang the song, a light seemed to glow around her, then from her back, a figure appeared, which had the appearance of an angel, with blonde swirling hair, and a sophisticated, but sweet and kind joined her mistress and together they both sang to the babies, and continued to sing until both babies were fast asleep, with sweet comforting dreams, after which the angel withdrew into her mistress.

And as her husband watched on, he thought to himself that if he were asked to describe how peace sounded, he would have shown this scene to the questioner, and he would have said 'This is peace'..the soothing sounds of comfort in the midst of the storms of life. And in many ways, that kind of described his life with his beautiful yet unique wife , that while the storms of life raged outside, inside was the calm. The calm that both of them had created.

 _This chapter was a bit hard to write. It went through several drafts, both in my mind, and once on paper, before I got the final(hopefully satisfactory) product..here presented._

 _The lullaby Belldandy sings is Norse Lullaby by Eugene Field (1850-1895) from his 'Poems of Childhood' published in 1904 by and online at .edu/~ ._


	4. Chapter 4

_I do not own Ah my Goddess or its wonderful characters...they remain properties of the original rights holders._

Today was, from the point of view of Hotarunoske Morisato, a very important day.

He had woken up with a bit of trepidation, but still, he felt a bit confident about himself. As he was leaving for school that day, his mother handed him his bento, and wished him good luck, while his father slapped him on the back, and made a joking comment about his nine-year old becoming a man. His twin sister smiled knowingly, but under strict instructions from their mother, did not make fun of her dear brother, though she did ask to be informed of the juicy details when she got home (she was staying behind after class for club activity). All in all, he felt strongly that with all the good wishes, nothing could possibly go wrong.

It happened to be the day set aside for the celebration of a particular kind of warm affection, usually expressed between two people, and inside Hotaru's bag was a specially wrapped package of a large bar of chocolate, which he had made himself. (Well, with a lot of help from his mother). It was a gift for a certain lady, the most beautiful girl that Hotaru had ever seen in his life , a girl in his class by the name of Sanae.

Sanae had joined Hotaru and Hime's class a few months earlier, on account of her father being suddenly transferred by his employer to their Nekomi branch. She was a very pretty girl with long dark hair, usually in a pigtail, dimpled cheeks, bewitching eyes, and very fair skin. She usually wore very lovely dresses, and was always brought to school in a rather posh car(her dad was a mid-level executive and also the second son of a very rich family).Nearly all the boys in her class were in love with her, and some of the girls envied her. She did have a clique of friends, and was on good speaking terms with one of her classmates named Souta, who happened to be one of Hotaru's friends, and in whose company he(Hotaru) had met the lass for the first time.

And ever since that time, Hotaru had been bewitched by the dimples, and the smiling face, and the lovely voice of the pretty Sanae, so much so that he spent a lot of his spare time thinking about her, and even wrote secret letters to her (never delivered). For some time, he had considered ways of letting his feelings known to her, but he had run out of ideas….until he remembered the story his mother had told them one night about how she and Father had exchanged chocolates, one White day years ago...and that was where he got the idea of giving Sanae chocolates on Valentine's day.

Approaching his mother a few days earlier, he had asked for help with 'making chocolates' and blushed when he told her who the chocolates were for. His mother did not laugh but listened to him seriously, and then said that she would help him make the chocolates. The following day, after a shopping trip to get some ingredients, the chocolate making began. To Hotaru it was a lot of hard work, and he got himself a bit messy, but with his mother's gentle help and guidance, he eventually made a batch of chocolate that actually was edible enough. Or in his mother's words….chocolate that was full of love and affection.(His mother did talk strange sometimes).

So, as Hotaru arrived at school, a bit early than usual,he entered the class, and was glad enough to see Sanae . She was sitting in her usual place,in the second row next to the window. He stood nervously at the entrance of the classroom, feeling a bit scared, then walked up to her, and with a gulp in his throat decided to get on with the gift giving.

'Sanae' he said, and when the girl looked at him inquiringly, he said 'Here is some chocolate for you. I er..made it because, I er, like you, and er…here' and he held out the chocolate for her.

Sanae looked at the chocolate and then looked at Hotaru.

'Thanks, but I think that you could give this gift to someone else really'

It was just a few words, and it was said nicely enough, but those few words were enough to crush the young would be Romeo's spirit…..deeply.

Hotaru felt gloomy, and retreated back to his seat, and remained in a gloomy state for the rest of the school day. He could not bear to look at Sanae at went through his classes for the day in a haze, and then when the bell went, ran home alone, thankful for once that his sister had club activities.

As Hotaru got home, he was met at the door by a young girl his age with blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. She had some oval-shaped blue markings on her forehead and cheek and an infectious smile. Her name was Hollur, and she was a goddess second class, first category, who was considered a promising goddess that she actually had two mentors, one of whom happened to be Belldandy, Hotaru's mother. She was here on 'the lower plane' for the second phase of her Earth-based' training, having recently renewed her Earth Trainee Licensee, and she was well known to the Morisato had arrived at the residence about an hour after the twins had headed out toschool

'Hello Hotaru', Hollur said cheerfully. 'It's been a..' her smile died down, as she saw instantly that her friend and mentor's son was in a very gloomy mood. Usually he was glad to see her, but now,not only was he looking gloomy, but his answer was a very short 'Afternoon', before he went up hurriedly to his room. Hollur looked with some concern…and then decided to inform her mentor about her son's gloomy disposition.

Belldandy was in the kitchen getting dinner ready. She was not alone, as her dear husband was home too from work and the two of them were happily chatting, while in the parlor, little Tamako, the six month old youngest addition to the family was fast asleep in her cot(and had been under Hollur's capable care).Both of them heard their son come in, and both heard Hollur greeting him,and his rather brief reply…and they heard his steps as he ran upstairs to his room, and slammed the door. At that moment, Hollur came into the kitchen, with a worried look, and informed her mentor , Mistress Belldandy, that Hotaru was looking very sad.

Belldandy and Keiichi both looked at each other, and nodded. Belldandy said 'I'll go up and speak to him', but Keiichi said 'No, I 've got this' and his wife smiled in understanding. So Keiichi went upstairs to his son's room and opened the door.

Inside, he found his son, sitting down on his bed , legs crossed, and looking gloomy. Keiichi sat down next to him, and for a few minutes quiet reigned.

Then Keiichi asked, quietly 'Want to talk about it'

Hotaru nodded, and then told his father, in a few words about the rejection of the gift.

Keiichi smiled in understanding, and then said 'Well, little man, it's all right. We all get rejected sometime or the other. Even I was rejected once by a girl I liked.'

'You were , Father?', Hotaru looked up at his dad in surprise. His all confident father, rejected?

'It happened when I was in I met your mother. She was the daughter of a very rich man, and I thought she was the most beautiful woman I ever did day, I decided to ask her out….to visit a museum with me. And she not only said no, she even made a joke about my height in the process.'

Hotaru smiled in understanding, despite his gloomy feelings.

'I felt bad for many days. But looking back, in a way I did learn something good from that. I learned to overcome my fear of rejection, and I also learned that bad feelings don't last forever, unless you want them to. And in a way, both lessons were good for me when I met your mother later on, because I was able to make my wish without being scared of being rejected, and also knowing that even if I was rejected, life would always go on. Very important lessons for when you grow up'.

Hotaru ,still feeling gloomy said…'But I still feel embarrassed., and sad'.

'Don't worry, it's ok to feel sad and you should not let it bother you too much. After all, things will get better. I know that for a fact.' And Keiichi smiled.

'Now, come,let's go downstairs and help your mother get dinner ready, okay?'

'Sure, Dad!'.

And the rest of the evening was spent in a much happier mood.

 _And another difficult but fun chapter to write. Writing fanfictions is such hard work!_

 _Updates for all my stories might be a bit irregular...work awaiteth(sigh)._


	5. Chapter 5 : First day

_I do not own Ah my Goddess, or its characters thereof_

First day

It was a special day in Tamako Morisato's rather short life, though, at the time, she did not realize the significance of the day or the fact that a great change was afoot in her life.

She woke up that morning with the vague idea that she was going to go to a place called 'school'. In her mind, she thought that she was going on a wonderful outing with her mother, again, where she would have a fun time with her mum, watching the world go round, hearing her mommy's lovely voice, and having a good time, before being tucked into bed at the end of the day after a good supper, and hearing one of mommy's lovely stories, while going to sleep.

After all, that's how most of her days passed by (in her mind at least.)

After a wonderful breakfast, her mother helped her brush her teeth, both of them singing a nice song about teeth being shiny and clean and happy, and then dressed her up in the new dress and cap that they had bought a few days earlier for school. The dress and cap were not as pretty as many of the new dresses that her mother had bought, but Tamako did not mind either way. She liked the cap very much though….it was a yellow round cap that looked very nice, and the dress that she was wearing was a nice blue dress with a large white collar.

All too soon, Tamako and her mother were ready to go. Tamako's dad, a nice looking guy with the same kind eyes that his wife had loved since he was a struggling college student smiled and wished his daughter 'Ganbatte!' Her elder brother and sister, both of whom were already dressed up and ready for their school smiled and gave her the thumbs up. Tamako felt very happy having such a sendoff. She felt already in her little heart that today was going to be a lovely day with her mommy.

So, Tamako and her mother set off on the short, but enjoyable trek to that fun place called 'school'. Tamako had a little school bag, with a nice bento inside which was 'for later' (as her mom always said whenever they went for an outing). Tamako skipped along happily with singing heart, occasionally looking up at her mother..who smiled back at loved her mother very much. She thought that her mother was the most beautiful mother in the world. Today, her mother was dressed in a dark blue business-style dress and had her long hair pinned up in a fetching adored her mother's hair. Undone, it was long and brown and lovely, and Tamako loved to play with her mother's hair when she was sitting down and doing some knitting or sewing(her mother did not mind at all).But it was her face that Tamako loved the best….as her mother had lovely blue eyes, and very princess-like features, as well as some markings on her face…which Tamako and her brother and sister had as well…while their father…who Tamako looked a lot like, did not have again thought that she had the most wonderful mother in the world….even as she happily walked alongside her to that mysterious but (according to her mother) fun place called 'school'

All too soon, they were at the schoolhouse, a set of four one- story buildings arranged around a nice looking playground, and there were a lot of parents, mostly mothers with their children, who wore similar clothing to what Tamako was wearing. Both Tamako and her mother entered the school premises, where they were greeted by a kind looking man who looked elderly, and somehow reminded Tamako of Keima-pa(her grandfather).Soon they were in a big room where she stood next to her mother, while the kind looking elderly man (whom she later learned was called Ichimiya-sensei) welcomed them and said a few words which Tamako did not understand for the most part. Words like' learning', 'future' and 'work'. Then the address ended, and a few minutes later, Tamako and her mother stood in a line, where soon, when it was their turn, they were handed a little name tag by a nice looking woman …with her name 'Tamako' written on it. Pretty soon, Tamako and her mother went down a corridor, and Tamako's mother stopped at a door, and handed over her daughter to a kind looking young woman with long black hair, and a kind looking face who was dressed in a nice yellow dress over which she wore a greenapron, , which had name tag, on which was written 'Kikuko'.

Her mother turned to Tamako, bent down, and said, gently 'Well Tamako-chan, I'll have to leave you here for some time. I will be back later to pick you up. Have a good time, and behave well'. …and she smiled, and kissed her and ….walked away, leaving Tamako with the strange young woman named Kikuko.

Tamako stared at the departing figure of her mother for a few momen before it hit her….her mother was abandoning her!. Once that fact was established in her head, the appropriate response was initiated….a loud wail followed by sobbing, and sobbing….and sobbing.

Kikuko-sensei gently bent down, and said a few gentle words to the sobbing maiden., and dried her tears. Tamako heard the words, and somehow felt consoled by the young woman with the nice long hair, and yellow dress, and stopped crying…and allowed herself to be led into the classroom. Soon, she was seated next to a young girl her age, who was quite beautiful, with long hair and doe eyes, flawless skin and a sweet mouth. Tamako was enthralled…but a bit shy.

However, while Kikuko-sensei was engaged in settling down a few other upset little children, the pretty girl turned to Tamako and said 'What's your name'…and Tamako said…'.I'm Tamako.'

'I'm Hitomi' the girl replied, and they both smiled at each other.

'Let's play together later in the day, okay?' Hitomi said

'Ok!' Tamako smiled.

All in all, school turned out to be fun for Tamako that day. She and Hitomi quickly bonded, both discovering that they liked Licca-chan dolls, and both of them also discovering that they liked the same kind of food. They played lots of games during the break period, and after break, had fun drawing together during art class.

It was while they were engrossed in the drawing, that Kikuko-sensei brought a newcomer to join them in the activity. He was a shy looking, bespectacled young man named Souta. Initially, he shyly watched both girls, but pretty soon, the very friendly Hitomi drew him out, and before long they joined forces together to draw a nice looking house, which Kikuko-sensei praised as being 'wonderful'.They even ate lunch together too.

Pretty soon, the school day ended, and the parents came to pick up their charges. Tamako, Hitomi, and Souta parted from each other with a promise to play again tomorrow.

Tamako walked home with her mother, happily talking about the day, and the new friends she made, and the nice drawing she did, and her mother smiled while feeling relieved inwardly. Her youngest child had adjusted well for her first flight outside the nest, and it looked like she was settling down well.

And thus ended Tamako Morisato's first day at school.


	6. Chapter 6: A gift for Mother

A gift for Mother

Hotaru had a problem….a serious problem..at least from an eleven year old's perspective

His mother's birthday was coming up in a week's time, and so far he had not yet thought of any suitable gift to give her.

And asking his mother was out of the question. Not just because he wanted the gift to be a surprise, but if he asked her for her opinion, his mother would look at him with her 'lovey dovey eyes' and say something along the lines of 'You are the most wonderful gifts I ever received….you and both of your sisters..and I could wish for nothing better than the three of you' before hugging him, and giving him a kiss on the forehead. Not that he minded being hugged by his mother….but that was not what he considered a satisfactory answer to his question.

He was puzzling over the problem while he was on his way to his aunt Megumi's house. It was a fine August Saturday morning, and the sun was out in full force. The heat made Hotaru feel thirsty, and he immediately stopped at the nearest vending machine to buy some bottled water. It was while he was drinking up that he happened to notice that the vending machine was situated near a small shop selling hand made jewelry , and in the window display of the shop was a row of necklaces…which included a simple yet lovely ivory pearl necklace..which he knew immediately would look nice around his mother' immediately knew that he had found his birthday gift for his mother.

However, when he looked at the price….his heart sank. It was 3000 weekly allowance was 900 yen., and at the moment he just had 1000 yen in savings.

Hotaru groaned inwardly. He needed a job, or at the very least something that would give him 2000 yen in the next five days…or he might have to forget the idea of a present for his mother.

Which would be very sad.(At least to him).

Hotaru was thoughtful all the way to his aunt Megumi's had been sent there to collect a copy of some technical manual for his dad which his aunt had borrowed earlier., and his mum had sent him to deliver a package of her small cupcakes. He arrived at his aunt's house, and was welcomed by his cousin Ryouske, Megumi's eldest son, who was an exuberant six year old. Ryouske immediately saw the cakes, and immediately called back to his mum saying 'Mom, Hotaru is here, with some of Aunt Bell's cakes!' His mother immediately came out from the kitchen with a smile, while her four year old daughter Akane tagged along , looking at Hotaru with solemn eyes.(she was a very quiet and even at that age responsible young lady,compared to her always exuberant brother).

Hotaru's Aunt Megumi smiled, and said cheerfully 'Hello kiddo! I see that you brought something nice along', while accepting the cakes from Hotaru and ruffling his brown hair. 'Why don't you go and sit down in the parlor while I go get what you came for 'she said smiling…and Hotaru went to sit down in the parlor., where he spent the next few minutes bantering with, and playing with his cousin Ryouske. It was just Aunt Megumi and her kids in the house, as his uncle Jun was away on a work-related trip.' All the time, Hotaru was thinking hard about what gift to give his mother.

Finally, his Aunt came out with the technical manual his dad had asked for, and handed it over to Hotaru, telling him to greet his dad for took the manual, and then after looking at it for a few minutes, said…Thanks Aunt Megumi.

Ryouske in the meantime had darted off to the kitchen, no doubt to see if he could grab a few of Aunt Bell's cakes. Akane meanwhile was quietly playing with one of her dolls in the parlor, keeping close to her mother all the would have stayed a bit ,but he had another errand to run for his mother,and then he had to get home to do some schoolwork.

As he was about to leave, he turned around, and looked back at his aunt Megumi, and asked her if she knew of a job that could pay at least 2000 yen in a week.

Aunt Megumi looked puzzled a bit, and then asked 'Why do you want a job?' and Hotaru told her everything, including how he needed the money to buy a necklace for his mother.

His aunt Megumi looked thoughtful for a few minutes, then said cheerfully…Give me till tomorrow, and I might have something for you.

The following day, the phone rang at the Morisato residence,just after Hotaru and his sisters had finished breakfast. His mother answered the phone. On the other end was Keiichi's sister Megumi.

Of course, Belldandy was happy to hear from Megumi, and the two of them chatted over the phone for a few minutes about family and motherly stuff, then Megumi asked to speak to Hotaru….privately.

Belldandy called Hotaru to the phone, saying 'Your Aunt Megumi wants to talk to you'..and so Hotaru picked the phone, while Belldandy went back into the twin sister Hime had gone upstairs, while little Tamako had followed Belldandy into the kitchen.

'Hotaru', his aunt said 'I have gotten a job for you. It is at the Nekomi Library's Children's Division. I have a friend who works there, and she told me last night that they are looking for a young boy to work as an assistant at the Children's division every day for the next four days…and I thought of you. Will you be willing to do the job? Salary is just 3000 yen!'

Hotaru could not believe his good luck. 3000 yen…he would be able to buy his mother her birthday gift after all

'And you will start tomorrow'his aunt , come to the library by nine o'clock.

Hotaru was happy. He thanked his aunt…and hung up.

The following day, Hotaru set off for the library. He had told his parents that he was going to be spending a lot of time in the library for the next four days,and both of them had agreed gladly, with his mother expressing gladness that her son was becoming more devoted to learning new things. Hotaru winced a bit at that, but he could not tell his mum the real reason, as that would spoil the surprise.

On arriving at the library, he was met by his aunt Megumi's friend, a young woman by the name of Sakura, and he told that his job would be to help the assistant librarians in the children's section, by helping to put any books back on the shelves and also helping other children get books from the shelves that they could not reach. He was given a small badge on which was written 'Junior assistant' and in a few minutes , after a brief demonstration of what he was supposed to do, started work.

It was not an easy four days. Many of the children who came into the library, while well behaved did have a tendency to leave books lying around carelessly. Some even were a bit demanding. One of the kids , a rather naughty eight year old female, kept on sending poor Hotaru to get book after book from the shelves for her, which he willingly did…although not without some 'grumbles ' in his heart. And in addition, from time to time, he helped with the cleaning of the library.

He was such a dedicated little worker, that the librarians working in the library took a liking to him, and one of them even jokingly asked if he would want to stay on full time. Hotaru's response that he would not mind, but he would have to be 'back in school in a few weeks time' made everyone he always got a nice cup of cocoa and some cookies from the eldest librarian in the section, a nice middle aged woman by the name of Satomi, who always made him eat and drink up before going home.

After a hard four days work, the final day came, and Hotaru was feeling a bit sad about the job coming to an end. The library, despite the fact that it could be busy, was interesting, and he had done a bit of reading in his spare time(the library had some back copies of his favorite manga Red Shirt..about a young boy who turned into a superhero when he summoned a red shirt…which he read when he was not too busy), and he had enjoyed the cookies and cocoa. He was summoned to Sakura's office in the library complex, where he was thanked for doing a great job, and was handed over an envelope which contained his pay, and which he received gratefully.

As soon as he left the library, he went straight to the jewelry shop, and bought the pearl necklace. He also paid for it to be wrapped in some nice gift wrapping…and then headed home,hiding the gift in his backpack (which he had brought along for that purpose).

The following day was Belldandy's birthday, and as it was usual in the Morisato household, her dear Keiichi and her equally dear children, who had gotten out of bed before she did, waited for her as she came downstairs from the bedroom, and wished her a 'Happy Birthday' as she did

And then everyone gave her a gift. Keiichi had bought his wife a fetching evening dress, while Hime had bought her some nice handkerchiefs. Even little Tamako had made a' nice drawing' of her mother (well, as nice as a three year old could!) which her mother received with all seriousness. The final gift giver was Hotaru, and he handed his mother the gift package, and looked anxiously as his mother opened the package.

Belldandy opened her son's gift, and smiled happily at the gift. Her dear son had given her a beautiful necklace! She turned to Hotaru, looked at him with her 'lovey dovey eyes, and gave him a big hug, while saying to him 'Your gift is so beautiful. Thank you'. She then included her other children in the hug, and looking with such love at her dear husband, said

'Thank you, all of you. You all are such wonderful loving gifts'.


	7. Chapter 7

_I do not own Ah my Goddess or its characters._

For some weeks , the good people of Nekomi had been subjected to a series of burglaries by a master burglar who had so far eluded every attempt to catch him. The local police had tried everything from surveillance, increased CCTV coverage, but had been unsuccessful….for it always seemed as if the burglar was always one step ahead of them. It seemed that no residence in Nekomi was safe from the antics of this burglar, and everyone invested heavily in a lot of security ware., and kept their doors and windows locked.

The burglar's name was Tetsuo, and his modus operandi was to first scope out the target, keep an eye open for entrances and exits, keep an eye open for anything that looked like the police, and when the coast was clear….strike with his accomplices, two guys who went by their nicknames of 'Slim' and 'Tiny'. Both were aptly named. Tiny a short little guy under five feet could slip into any house through the tiniest of windows, while Slim was an expert in any lock, and also an expert in the technical stuff..sometimes even disguising himself as a technician from the security company so that he could disable the security alarm systems if necessary, without it looking like they were disabled, while Tetsuo himself could analyze with just one look the number of entrances and exits in a particular target house or building, and devise a plan of entry, and exit.

For the past few days, Tetsuo had been, along with his two partners in crime, looking at a potential mark…a house that belonged to a certain man who owned a motorcycle customs business, who was married to a gaijin with three children, and who, in the words of Slim, was one of the most careless individuals he had ever seen security wise. The locks on his door were so old fashioned, and he had absolutely no advance d security system installed, and there were several windows in the house that were carelessly left open. In short…this job was the 'perfect job'…they would be in and out of the house with ease. Plans were made, and a date and time (midnight) was set.

Nightfall came, and the three men moved silently to the house., Tiny was assigned the upstairs rooms, while Tetsuo and Slim were to tackle downstairs. Time of operation was estimated to be thirty minutes.

Tiny gained access into the upstairs portion of the house by climbing in through a small window. He slid in easily, and found himself in an upstairs guest room…where he noticed that someone was asleep on the bed. But Tiny was prepared for that eventuality, as he first put on a small gas mask, then sprayed the room with sleeping gas. Little did he know that he had just made the first mistake of the operation.

Having sprayed the room with sleeping gas, he moved to the door, and was just about to open it, when he suddenly felt something like a strong rope around his body, and it was prickly, very prickly, and tight. The next thing he knew, he found himself suspended from the air, and looking into the face of a very angry looking , but beautiful woman dressed in some rather revealing clothing, with diamond markings on her head, and looking very angry.

The gas had had the opposite effect on the woman…it's smell had woken her up , and her higher self had immediately informed her that the gas she was percieving was dangerous. She instantly neutralized the gas using a silent spell….and then had noticed the source of the gas trying to (she thought) get away. So, she immediately captured him , and in an angry voice, asked

'Who are you, and what is your business here?'

Meanwhile, Testuo and Slim had not had much better luck downstairs. They had let themselves into the house, Slim successfully picking the lock, and had crept in. Unfortunately, they had failed to notice a figure sitting down near the entrance, head bowed, who had heard them come in and was quietly observing their movements. Slim and Tetsuo immediately got down to business, with Tetsuo getting his hands on a small antique clock (the pride of the lady of the house, who had received it as a gift from her dear husband the previous year) and put it into his bag, while Slim had gotten his hands on a small statuette on the mantelpiece. So busy were they that they were suddenly started by a loud voice saying..

'What do you think you are doing!?'

They turned round and saw….a tall woman with blue hair, and a stern face with blue markings resembling three small dots on her forehead, and dressed in a light blue t-shirt, and dark blue jeans, looking angrily at them. Tetsuo and Slim both looked at the woman, and laughed, before both of them produced wicked looking knives, and Tetsuo said….in a quiet menacing voice 'Now little lady, just keep your dainty mouth shut…and no one will get hurt'..before moving towards her.

He was soon to learn that that was a big mistake.

Before he could even use the knife, it was wrenched from his hands by the 'little lady', who then followed it up with a punch that knocked him down flat. Slim immediately threw his knife at the lady, hoping to immobilize her (in a past life he had been a dreaded knife fighter for some long defunct Yakuza gang) only to have the woman calmly catch the knife , with her bare left hand, and then follow that move up by rushing him and delivering a punch to his midsection, whose force was enough to knock him against one of the walls of the house.

The noises downstairs woke up the master and lady of the house, as well as their children too. The lady of the house immediately changed into her battle gown, and both she and her husband rushed down stairs….with memories of a previous attack on their previous place of residence which had been a close run thing. They arrived downstairs to find one of their two guests standing over two strange men who were both lying on the floor in agony. They had moments to take that in before they heard another set of footsteps coming down, and they saw their second guest with another strange man in tow…who was entangled in a rope made of what looked like thorny vines, and who also was in severe agony. The children of the house followed downstairs moments later.

A few minutes later, with the children of the house having been sent back to their beds by their mother, the lady of the house, her husband, and their two guests(both of whom had arrived a few hours earlier via teleportation) sat down and looked at their _'prisoners_ ' who were lined up on their knees, and in various stages of pain, hands bound behind their back with some of that strange vine that had been used earlier to immobilize Tiny.

'What should we do with them', Lind asked, quietly

'I don't know, really, torture them for a little while' Peorth said, with a very menacing look at all three burglars.

'No,' Keiichi said…Let's call the Police', and his wife Belldandy agreed, nodding her head gently.

And that is what happened.

Detective Yamamoto of the Nekomi Central Police station had heard a lot of stories in her twelve year career with the Police force, but none as strange as the one told by the three criminals that they had in custody.

The three criminals had admitted freely to committing a string of crimes in the city and had even offered to lead the Police to their hideout and their loot. While that was strange…criminals did not easily confess to their crimes in her experience , that was not the strangest thing of the story.

All three criminals had told a story of how, while on their latest job of being attacked by a two women, one of whom could apparently catch knives midair and deliver killer blows , and the other who could apparently materialize thorny vines from nowhere which could wrap themselves around someone's body easily, immobilizing them. Yamato, while responding to the call that had netted the criminals had seen the women who the criminals had mentioned, and to her mind…while both ladies looked very beautiful, they did not look like the type that could do the things that the criminals said they yet…she thought, all three men had injuries consistent with being assaulted, and the shortest of the lot had cuts all over his body, yet she had seen nothing that could indicate that the ladies concerned could have caused the injuries the crooks mentioned.

'Or maybe they could…'

Detective Yamamoto pushed such thoughts out of her mind and focused on writing up her report of the case. However it ended…three criminals were off the street permanently, she thought.

 _This chapter started as an idea two months ago, and went through several revisions before it got to the final form here presented. Hope everyone enjoys it._

 _Happy weekend everyone!_


	8. Chapter 8

Hime's secret admirer

It all started one fine morning in January, on a Monday.

Eight year old Hime Morisato had just arrived at her classroom, and was about to take her seat when she saw it…a little note on her desk. She picked it up with a lot of curiosity, and read the following

Hime-chan

I like you, I think you are nice-looking.

A friend.

Hime's friend, Sayaka, saw her reading the little note, and wondered out loud 'What are you reading Hime-chan?'. And Hime frowned a bit, and said simply…Just some note from someone…

Hime forgot about the note for the rest of the day, as it was a busy Monday, with the class teacher Mrs Iwata keeping everyone busy. So it was a tired Hime who got home, to a pleasant surprise, as her friend , Goddess second class ,limited, Hollur had arrived while she was at school for another extended period of training on Earth, and even better would be spending some time in school with Hime,as part of her training to be a Goddess. Hollur was a nice looking young goddess with blond hair, a slim figure, and a nice smile, and with blue markings on her forehead and cheeks in the shape of an oval. She was regarded as having a great future ahead of her…and as such had two mentors,one of whom was Belldandy, Hime's mother.

Three days later, Hime and Hollur arrived in class together (Hotaru, Hime's brother was in a different homeroom) at the start . Hollur had been introduced to the class the day before, and she had made a good impression. She had become friendly with Hime's classmates, and surprised everyone with her good knowledge of Japanese (they would have even been more surprised if they had known the number of languages Hollur was able to speak…including some non-Midgardian ones.).

Hime was just about to sit down, when….she saw another note, addressed to her.

She picked it up and read the following again.

Dear Hime

You looked real nice in the dress you wore yesterday.

A friend

Hollur saw her friend reading the note, and asked gently…Hime chan, what are you reading.

A note from some guy, I guess. Hime said uneasily…and showed her the note.

Ah, a secret admirer! Hollur said, reading the note. And whoever that person is, he must like you a lot Hime-chan! I can sense from the words that he put his whole heart into this note..

Aww, don't talk like my mom, Holly! 'Hime said, uneasily' 'And don't tell anyone about this'….just don't want to have people look at me strangely….like I AM weird…or something.

A few weeks passed, and the notes kept coming…not everyday or every week, but once every now and then. And then, on the day that everyone called the Day of Love….valentine's day, it happened.

Hime and Hollur had arrived at class a bit early that day, and soon were engaged in a chat with Hime's friend Sayaka, and another girl. So engrossed were they in their talk, that they did not notice someone else come in, and walk up to their table.

Hime suddenly looked up and saw standing in front of her, a bespectacled thin young man her age who wore a green shirt and black jeans, and whose face was clearly not too , some might have called the young man 'not too ugly, but certainly not too good looking.' His name was Sanada, and he held something in his hands…a tiny gift wrapped in blue wrapping paper with a red ribbon.

There was silence for what seemed like a few minutes, as both HIme and Sanada looked at each other then Sanada bowed and held out his gift to Hime saying…

'H-h-hime cha….I wrote notes..for you…and I like you very much and want to be friends…and here is this gift….I made it…it is some chocolate…

There was shock in the air. Hime , the brown haired, blue eyed young beauty of class 4-2 had gotten a valentine ..from class 4-1's Akiyama Sanada….the most unpopular boy in his class.

There was silence for a little while longer, which was long enough for the luckless Sanada to realize that his gift was not receiving the expected response. No…instead his beloved Hime…who he had admired for some time….looked at him with some ….disdain…and said simply…No thanks.

And turned around while most of the class laughed.

Well…most of the class.

Hollur had watched the whole exchange…and was shocked at Hime's response. She thought that their poor classmate had gone through a lot to get that gift for Hime…and had even written those nice notes.

Hime on the other hand…felt secret admirer was the misfit of his class…a young boy who was not very good looking, a bit clumsy, and was made fun of by most of his enough, he was friendly with her brother Hotaru…something about them sharing a common interest in a certain computer game…

But this was embarassing….to be admired by…that boy. Good thing she said no. .So Hime thought…not realizing that her friend Hollur was looking at her with sad eyes…

Later that day, when they had a free period…Hollur took her friend aside for a few minutes.

'You should have at least been nice to him Hime', she said sadly

'What…and have everyone make fun of me?' Hime said a bit haugtily.

'But, he did try to make his feelings known to you. You could have appreciated it a bit.' Hollur responded.

'Aw come on Holly,' Hime said 'You don't understand. I can't be friends with that would be weird'.

'Hime…at least' Hollur began..but Hime did not want to listen anymore…and Hollur,sensing that ,held her peace. But she did feel bad about it for the rest of the day…and after school, she (Hollur) decided to go and look for Sanada to apologise…but she found that he had already left the school…having been picked up by his mom apparently'

Hollur went home alone, feeling a bit down (Hime and Hotaru had some after school activities)…and on arriving at home, she saw Mistress Belldandy doing some house cleaning.

'Welcome back, Hollur'. Belldandy said happily,but stopped as she looked at Hollur's sad face. 'What's the matter? ' Did you and Hime have an argument'

Hollur debated whether to tell Mistress Belldandy about what happened that day, and initially she thought she won't say anything…but then, an image of her other mentor, goddess first class Maat , goddess of truth, came into her mind…saying …'A goddess does not lie' and 'A goddess always seeks to do right by all'…and she told Belldandy everything that happened, and how she felt bad about the whole thing…including not doing more.

Belldandy listened gravely, and at the end of it all said, with some seriousness 'Thank you Hollur.'…and then….did nothing.

Two days later, it was a Saturday. As usual, the children had chores to do around the house. It was Hime's turn to clean the windows, and as usual, she did a very good job, because she always loved hearing her mother's voice of approval, which always made her feel happy.

But this time there was a difference. While Belldandy praised Hollur and Hotaru's work, Hime didn't get praised. On the contrary, Belldandy just merely said 'That is good Hime-chan, but you could have done better'.

Really?

Now Hime always did her chores very well…even beyond what was asked of her. She found it strange to find her house work not praised. Well…there might be a bit of a spot there.

It got worse that day. Hime's helping her mother peel some potatoes in the kitchen was met with a 'You could have peeled them better , Hime-chan'. And her attempt at tidying up her room elicited a 'That is not too good , Hime-chan'. And then, the last straw was being sent on an errand to the nearby convinence store, and on returning, Belldandy said pleasantly…You are one minute late, Hime-chan.

One minute late?

Thus, by five o'clock that evening, Hime sat in her room, alone, feeling very sad. For some reason, her beloved mother had , without reason, treated her efforts as nothing but ….not good enough.

She bent her pretty head in sorrow, and felt really bad. So engrossed was she in her feelings, that she did not hear the footsteps coming up the stairs, or the door opening. She suddenly felt afamilliar warm prescence next to her…and she looked up to see her mother, looking kindly down at her., and holding a saucer containing a piece of sponge cake.

Her mother sat down, and watched as Hime ate the cake. She waited until Hime had almost finished the cake, then spoke gently to the young girl.

'Hime-chan', she began, 'when someone does something for others, we appreciate them not because of how they look like, but because of what they put into doing that something.'

Hime said nothing.

Hime -chan, her mother continued…you noticed how I treated you today?

Yes, mom 'Hime responded'.

It must have been very painful wasn't it? Belldandy asked?

It was'

That is the same way that young man who offered you his friendship must have felt. When you rejected his friendship, his effort to make friends….you hurt him in much the same way I did to you today, Hime dear.'

'I understand mom'. Hime said 'I'm sorry'

'That's all right. But it isn't me you should be apologizing to….it is to that young man.I got his phone number from your brother. Why don't you call him and apologize?'

Hime did call Sanada that evening, and she did apologize to him. And the following Monday, she smiled at him and talked with him. Little did she know that that little gesture of appreciating the effort to make friends helped a young boy, who was quiet and withdrawn, become more outgoing, and eventually, help him to develop the personality traits he needed for a great career in the future.


	9. Chapter 9: Two in love

_I do not own Ah my Goddess or its characters._

A couple in love

It was one of those days, when thanks to delays in flights, one gets the feeling that you are trapped between a rock and a hard place.I had arrived on time at Amsterdam Schipol's to catch a connecting flight to Tokyo…only to be told that the flight would be delayed, which meant that I would most definitely miss the first day of the new school term. And that meant another nice lovely session about my tardiness again and the need to set a good example for the students from Principal Ogawa….usually a nice lady…except when it came to the matter of teachers, even assistant language teachers like my poor self, maintaining a good reputation. And there was an appointment I had to keep, that would be delayed. It was in this bad frame of mind, that I plunked myself down in the nearest chair in the lounge to wait the extra 4 hours (or so they said) for the flight which had been delayed by weather.

My first thought was to reschedule said appointment…an interview for a job at a nearby English conversation school or Eikawa….which would add some much needed income….the salary of an ALT teacher, as I had discovered after three years working in Japan…was not enough to keep body and soul together….for a whole ,like everyone else…I had a second job to take care of the income…and the interview…if successful…would more than double that monthly income. So…I sat down, and pulled out my phone(International roaming charges be dammed!) and made a call to reschedule the interview. I did so in Japanese…which I spoke fluently by then, though I still had trouble with some of the letters or is it symbols?)..and when I finished successfully rescheduling, and feeling happy for once…I heard a voice next to me saying politely 'Excuse me, but did you just speak Japanese'?

I turned round and saw a youngish looking man in his late thirties, definitely very Japanese, with some nice looking brown eyes, and thick eyebrows, and a kind looking face. He was a bit shorter than I was (I am six feet, two inches, and a black African into the bargain …so I tend to stand out a bit),was dressed casually in a brown jacket, a pair of jeans, and a yellow shirt and he was smiling at me.

I smiled back, and introduced myself, and briefly explained (we were speaking in Japanese) my situation,and my profession in Japan

'I'm Morisato Keiichi,' he said, and smiled again. I run a motorcycle customs business in Nekomi. Ever been to Nekomi?

'Briefly.,I said. Early in my stay in Japan, I stayed a night at a friend's house there while I was enroute to Hokkiado, where I work now'

His eyes lit up at that 'You are based in Hokkaido? That's my home province. Have you been to my hometown of Kushiro"?

'No', I said, but it is an hour's drive from where I am based .'

He then asked where I was based, and I told him, and of course,he was happy to hear that…as he had a friend there, who, as it turned out was the landlord of the property where I rented a flat. He jokingly offered to get his friend to cut next year's rent…and I had a good laugh…and we talked some more.

I soon found out that his parents still lived in Kushiro, where his father worked as a glassblower, while he had lived there, until he relocated to Nekomi to go to college…and decided to stay there after he graduated….first to work for one of his senpais, before starting his business. That led us to a long and interesting talk about motorcycles….which I found fascinating…for someone like myself who knew little about bikes. He explained that he was in Holland to find a rare motorcycle part for a customer…which he had been successful at getting at a good price. I told him about my job as an ALT…and my eventual plans to be a teacher of English as a second language…after an initial failure to get a job with my media arts degree.

The time passed…and then an announcement came for our flight We both joined the line…and while we waited…Mr Morisato picked up his phone and made a quick call home to his wife…telling her of his expected time of arrival. I noticed he was quite tender while talking on the phone to his wife….a bit more tender than the average married Japanese man. And when he signed off by telling his wife how deeply he loved her…more than life itself. I was …very very curious.

By chance, we had seats next to each other on the Nippon Airlines flight to Tokyo, in the middle of the aisle (Must be fate!, Morisato-san said)..and soon we were settled down, and ready to fly.

Take off was smooth, and it was while we were being served a snack, that I commented about his call to his wife...with the offhand comment that he must really love his wife very much.

Keiichi smiled, and said…'Yes I do. Very means a lot to me, and I am thankful that she ever chose someone ordinary like me'.

I must have looked very curious…because he went on ' We met when I was in thing is...I never thought that I would ever be with someone like her…and yet…there she was. We ended up living together while I was in college…with her sisters..how that happened is a long story…and we got married after four years of knowing each other…and since then, my life has been wonderful. Very wonderful. ' He looked very…how do I say this…glad as he said that.

'And how long have you been married ?'

'Fourteen years'..he said dreamily. 'Fourteen wonderful years.'.

'She is the most beautiful woman in the whole universe, and she is so kind' he went on' She has been not just my wife and lover, you know…she has also been my friend , and true companion. I can't imagine life without her'.

He pulled out a photo from his wallet and showed it to me. I looked at it. It was a photo of a woman who I thought looked…well…too lovely to exist. She had lovely blue eyes, fair skin,delicate nose, and pretty lips and brown hair, and she wore a wide brimmed hat, and was smiling directly at the camera. She wore a red top, and a long black dress. Her features were clearly she had a diamond-like marking on her reminded me of a heavenly queen who had decided to spend a day among us mere mortals , dressed casually'

'Must have met in college…must be an exchange student' I thought. 'But she is lovely….very much so'

Aloud I said 'Wow, Mr Morisato…your wife is lovely. What's her name'

'Belldandy' he said happily.

'Obviously not from around Japan' I said.

'Yes', he said…She is from somewhere up Northwards'

I took that to mean Northern Europe.

'I hope she isn't too worried about the delays' he said, seriously ' She does worry when I have to be late…even if it is for a few minutes'.

I had an image of the woman in the photo sitting down in a Japanese house looking worriedly out of the window…and I laughed.

'Don't worry Mr Morisato ' I said 'I daresay we will arrive safely…and she would soon be happy to have her darling with her again'

'That I am sure of' he said looking happy. I thought again that his wife must be one special woman to make him that happy.

The rest of the flight passed uneventfully, and we landed safely at Tokyo. We both got off the flight safely, and retrieved our luggage successfully. I did not have as much luggage as Mr Morisato did, so I helped him carry some of his (Had to buy some gifts for everyone..he said, and I thought about the funny Japanese custom of buying gifts when one went on a journey). Pretty soon..we were in arrivals…and that is when I saw her.

The woman from Mr Morisato's photo.

She had two children with herwho both had her brown hair and features, and was carrying a sleepy third child with darker hair. She was looking worriedly at the arrivals…until she caught sight of her husband….and her face broke into a wide smile. She immediately pointed her husband out to her children, who then looked excitedly, before she handed the youngest child to her daughter…and ran to meet her husband.

I repeat myself…she ran to meet her husband, who held out his hands to her, and she hugged him tightly, and kissed him on the cheek.

(Not classic Japanese wife behavior, I thought).

Of course, I got introduced to the entire family…Belldandy, and their children …her and Keiichi's three kids. Up close, Belldandy was even more beautiful than she looked in her husband's photo, and she also had a sort of motherly aura that I somehow suspected did not just come from looking after three children. She kindly thanked me for keeping her husband company…and then invited me to visit their house anytime. And her husband agreed! I promised to call them in the next two weeks about that…as at that time…I was going to be busy for the next two weeks….and they agreed…with Belldandy (she insisted that I call her that from the word go) saying that she would call me to remind me about that.

Thirty minutes later, I was on my train back home….feeling glad that I had made new friends…and wondering again how a couple could be in such love after so long a time together.

Maybe I would find out more when I visited them two weeks later.

 _The above chapter was the result of two separate ideas which merged into one...and which took one hour of fast typing to complete. When the muse strikes..._


	10. Chapter 10: Sunday morning

_As always, I do not own Ah my Goddess or its characters_

Sunday morning…

It was a beautiful day, a lovely Sunday morning, somewhere in Japan. The sun was rising from it slumber in all its brilliance, and the birds were singing in the trees, and the sky was a brilliant blue, and all over the city, people were slowly getting out of bed, some for another day's work, some for some much-needed rest and recreation.

In a certain house, on the outskirts of that city, a youngish-looking Japanese man, dressed in nothing but a pair of boxers, slowly opened his eyes, as the sun rays streamed into his bedroom. He lazily lay down in bed for a few minutes, reflecting on how beautiful the day was going to be and then decided to get out of bed…

..only to be held down by a rather soft load.

The soft load was in the form of a beautiful woman with long flowing brown hair, well -proportioned body covered up in a light blue nightgown, whose lovely head was rested on her husband's chest, and who was still fast asleep with a smile on her sweet looking man…her husband…smiled at her as she slept on, and thought for a few minutes how fortunate he was to have such a lovely wife…a lovely goddess …come into his life.

This woman was not just his wife, she was also his best friend, his lover, his partner, his…everything. She would lay down her life for him without being asked, and she would never ever leave him,no matter what force tried to separate was in many ways his rock of support, this lovely woman with the long flowing brown hair, and he loved her as deeply as she loved him.

The man gently extricated himself from his ,well,pleasant load, and left their bedroom, with the intention of going round to check on their children. He first looked in on the other two young ladies of the house in their room. His two princesses were still fast asleep. His elder daughter was sleeping in her bed. She had the same long flowing brown hair and facial features of her mother, including the distinctive blue markings on her forehead and cheeks (as did her siblings) and was dressed in a pink nightie. She was fast asleep holding onto a stuffed blue rabbit….a toy she had had ever since she was young. Her younger sister was asleep too in her own bed, her black hair framing a face very much like her father's with some hint of her mother's features, also holding onto her 'dollie' ,and dressed in a purple nightie. Both of the ladies looked so sweet, sleeping in their beds, with peaceful looks on their faces, and without much of a care in the world. Their father smiled at them, and then left their room to check on their brother in the next room

Their brother slept in his bedroom,his private space free of all girlish influence, with his favorite soccerball not far from his side (he had recently taken up the sport of soccer) and with a rather serious look on his face. He had the same brown hair and features of his older sister (they were twins, after all) with his hair much shorter (he refused to let it grow long much to his mother's disappointment). His room was a bit untidy as usual. The father made a mental note to tell his son to tidy up his room again…when he woke up. But for now, he looked proudly at his son, who was in many ways a close comrade of his…he did feel close to all his children, and did not play favorites, but it did feel good to have another man in the house…especially when his wife's sisters and female friends came to visit.

The father returned to the bedroom he shared with his wife, to see her sitting up in bed looking at the window and with the sun now fully up…lighting up a room filled with a lot of simple furnishings, and a few mementos of their days together in their previous place of residence, a temple with the name signifying hope. The father looked at the wife and the mother of his children for a moment, the young looking woman with the long flowing brown hair, thinking how beautiful she looked , like she always did, this morning. She turned around and looked at him with her deep blue eyes, filled with love and gentle longing, and happiness too, and smiled at the man who had in many ways made her happy and content. The mortal who had won her heart.

They looked at each other with deep love and affection for what seemed like an eternity, then the woman said, tenderly, calling him the way she always did, even after some seventeen years of marriage…

 _Keiichi-san_

And the man responded, as always, with tenderness in his voice.

 _Belldandy._

 _This piece of soft fluff was brought to you by a night of insomnia. Anyway...I have no regrets!_


	11. Chapter 11

It was a cold windy wintry night.

So cold was the night, that by rights, no one should have been out and about , but should have been indoors, maybe in front of some warm fireplace, or some warm electric heater, with something hot to drink, but unfortunately fate, or to put it more mundanely , work kept some people outdoors.

One of those fated to be out this cold night was heading back home on his trusted motorcycle. It was not his original intention to be out in the cold; infact he had hoped to be home much earlier than usual, but, as they say, if things must go wrong, they will, and an hitherto unnoticed problem in his latest work project had decided to make itself known, in a big way...and fixing it had taken time, and effort, and even with all the effort, it was going to be some time before any headway was made.

But the worst thing , in the eyes of the man, was that all these things meant that he would be late, and that meant that she would be worried, and he did not like making _her_ worried.

Years ago, when he was a young man, he had worked late into the nights for the better part of a week to make sure he earned enough to buy her a beautiful gift. A thank you gift,so to speak. While she had been very happy with the gift, she had spent most of that week worrying, and he had felt bad about it...especially as he could not tell her why he had to work that late as the gift was meant to be a surprise. But her joy at receiving the gift, a simple ring, that had never ever left the finger that he had placed it on since that day had made everything , even his worry over her feelings worth it. And that day, he had made a secret vow...never ever to make her worry like that again.

A vow that he had kept for the most part...except tonight.

As he rode home, he suddenly saw , ahead, some lights on the highway. A car, from the looks of things. On getting closer, he saw that it was a snazzy looking sports car, with the hood open, and the driver bent over the engine looking stressed and tired. A breakdown,he thought. He thought of continuing on, but decided to stop and see if he could help. He parked his bike up the road, and approached the driver.

The driver of the car turned round on his approach, and looked at the biker. In the light of the car's headlights , both men blinked and looked at each other. With a burst of surprise, each man recognized each other.

The driver of the car spoke first 'Morisato'

The biker replied 'Aoshima'.

No words were spoken for a few moments, then the man called Morisato said , politely, 'Seems like you have some problem with your car, Aoshima'.

'Ah, yes, Morisato, seems to be from the engine'

'Mind if I help you look at it?' Morisato said queitly.

'Of course' the other man said, almost distractedly.

Morisato went back to his bike briefly, and retrieved some tools from his beemer, the same motorcycle he used to ride back when he was just another college then bent over the engine and worked queitly. He soon isolated the problem, and then got to work on it.  
There was silence for some time

'Tell me Morisato, are you still married to that gaijin girlfriend of yours..what was her name again...bell..erm'

'Belldandy' , Morisato said', and we have three children. , he added with a smile. 'How about you?'

'I am now Vice -President of Research for my father's company' .Aoshima said with some pride. 'Have been doing a bit of international travel , particularly in Europe, exploring some new business opportunities. You know..the usual.' He spoke with the air of a man of business...serious business that the chap in front of him could not ever hope to understand, or achieve.

'I was in France this week, when I got a call from home. Urgent business' he added languidly, and breifly. 'But enough about me. Are you still working for Chihiro sempai'?

'No , Keiichi replied, his mind still on the engine' 'I run my own business now. Mostly custom motorcycles. You could stop by and see us sometime'

Both men continued in ths way, for a few more minutes, with their discussion eventually focusing on the car, which problem Keiichi was able to solve. As he closed the hood of the car, Keiichi smiled at Aoshima, and said 'Well, that's your problem fixed, for now. I'd advise that you still have it looked over by your usual mechanic, but this should do for now.'

'Thanks, I am sure I appreciate this, of course' Aoshima said. He was about to say more, but they were interrupted by the sound of one of the doors of the passenger side of the car slamming shut. A figure had stepped out of the car. The figure turned out to have a feminine shape, wrapped in warm , expensive furs. She did not pay attention to Keiichi, but instead, asked Aoshima, rather impatiently in good, but slightly accented Japanese, if the car problem had been sorted out.

'Yes dear' Aoshima responded ' I was fortunate that a former schoolmate of mine happened to be passing by, and between the two of us, we got the car fixed'

The lady turned around and looked at the said schoolmate a bit closely. In the clear moonlight (the wind had stopped while the car was being repaired), Keiichi saw that she was a tall, brown haired , blue-eyed foreigner, with perfectly styled hair and a frown on her lovely face. Keiichi noted that she had some resemblance to a certain lady he knew...only that she was taller, and the face, though beautiful, was hard, and there were no markings visible.

'Morisato' Aoshima said ' This is Monica, an international supermodel, and my girlfriend. Monica, this is Morisato Keiichi'

'Nice to meet you, Monica-san' Keiichi said, with a smile.

'Oh the pleasure is all mine too' Monica said , before turning to Aoshima and saying 'Well, shall we?'

'Er yes dear.' Aoshima said, before he turned towards Morisato and said 'Thanks'.

And on a cold wintry night, two former antagonists, who were still by no means best friends...parted .

Keiichi Morisato arrived home some minutes later. It was late in the night, but in the Morisato household, it was all quiet, warm and well lady of the house, having heard her husband come in , came to meet him at the doorway, just as he was taking off his stuff. She greeted him with a smile and told him that his supper was waiting for him on the table.

As Keiichi Morisato ate his very very late supper of warmed over miso soup, he thought back to his meeting with Aoshima, and realized something .

Aoshima was successful, that was certain, And he was still his proud, smug self. But even with all the success and the posh gaijin girlfriend, Aoshima still gave off the air of not being satisfied, of trying to be better than the next man, and of looking for the next accomplishment. Keiichi could not help but feel a bit of regret that had he taken some chances,or worked harder, maybe he might have become succesful enough to provide a lot for his growing family...especially for Belldandy

Belldandy.

Keiichi looked at Belldandy, who was quietly sitting down opposite him doing a bit of sewing with a smile on her face, and realized that for her, he would exchange a lifetime of success and riches, just to be by her side..and she would do the same for him...

Forever.

* * *

 _Apologies for the delays in updates to my stories. Have bee EXTREMELY busy with work, stress at work and a professional exam to write._


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